Telehandler of the year wows crowd at ManiFest 2013

The Manitou MLT840 telehandler was given a good workout by expert driver Jacky Merle at Manitou Australia’s recent test drive day - ManiFest 2013

The event was held at North Bendigo, Victoria on October 8 and 9.

Over 40 customers and dealers turned up at the event to test drive Manitou and Gehl machines available on the day.

Models available for demo over the two day event include the Manitou MLT 627 and MLT 735 telehandlers; the MSI 30 , MI 30 D and MH 25-4T forklift trucks; the Gehl 5240 skid steer loader and the Telehandler of the Year as named by Power Farming Magazine - the Manitou MLT840.

The MLT840 was painted in blue and customised in support of V8 Supercars racer Alex Davison who competed at the recent Supercheap Auto Bathurst 100 V8 Supercars race in Bathurst NSW.

Veteran Manitou driver Jacky Merle was flown in from France to perform heart-stopping stunts with the custom MLT 840, providing some memorable entertainment for the crowd.

In addition, attendees were given the opportunity to test the machines for several applications such as hay loading and unloading; as well as earth digging, pushing, loading and levelling.

An obstacle course was especially set up for the event to allow customers to test the responsiveness, speed and stability of the machines.

Manitou Marketing Assistant Valentine Voisin says some attendees at the event had the opportunity to drive the MLT 735 telehandler through the obstacle course.

"The course included driving the machine on ditches, slopes and tight turns making the event great fun for both dealers and customers," she says.